This invention relates to that classification of tools utilized for loosening and extracting packing material from stuffing boxes in pumps or other mechanical equipment.
Packing extractor tools are used in maintaining pumps of all sizes (including water plant pumps, industrial pumps, etc). Pumps need to be dismantled periodically, two to three times per year sometimes, in order to repack the rings.
The old ring is usually hard, brittle, worn down, and then existing packing extracting tools often result in a chiseling or chipping of the old ring being removed and results in a piecemeal job. It is difficult therefore to obtain a clean removal of the old ring because small pieces remain in the box. Since it is imperative that the old ring be completely and cleanly removed before packing with a new ring, a considerable amount of time and effort is needed to remove the entire ring.
The prior art does not deal with any of these problems satisfactorily.
Bushinsky, U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,248, discloses a packing extracting tool that comes to a point. It assumes the packing ring will hold together when pierced or poked with the device. In practice the ring crumbles or breaks up and pieces remain stuck to the stuffing box.
Johnston, U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,460, is directed to a helical tool and again discloses a pointed end. It is also utilized by pushing the tool, not pulling.
Dugan, U.S. Pat. No. 2,207,661, is directed to the use of a chain for leverage.
Smade, U.S. Pat. No. 118,823, is directed to a tool utilizing a hook or corkscrew, also lending itself to crumbling and poking the packing ring. Hoffman is similar.
English, Webb and Wiessner (U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,653,995; 1,858,176; 2,066,598 respectively) are all directed to tools that have flexible handles.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a packing extractor tool that more easily removes the old ring. It is a further object to remove the ring in as few pieces as possible, even in one piece, without crumbling. It is a further object of the invention to allow the removal of the ring to be completed in a significantly less amount of time while doing so with cleaner results. It is further an object of this invention to allow for easily removing any small packing pieces remaining and to therefore perform the removal in a much quicker, cleaner and easier manner. It is also an object of the invention to attain the previous objectives for most types of packing materials and most types of pumps and machines and to do so at a minimal cost for the tool.
Other objects and features of the invention and objectives and the manner in which the invention achieves its purpose will be appreciated from the following description and the accompanying drawings which exemplify the invention, it being understood that changes may be made in the specific apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the essentials of the invention set forth in the appended claims.